Mumbai : International SOS, the world’s leading medical and security Services Company, published a comprehensive report on “Covid-19 & Global Security Implications. The report provides an overview of the key COVID-19 trends and global security implications towards the end of 2020 observed by International SOS security experts in their respective regions as well as the recommendations for global organisations to best prepare and respond to them in the short-to-medium term.
The key highlights of the report, reveals Covid-19 related restrictions resulting in socio-economic issues, geopolitical arm-wrestling between countries and cross border movement restrictions. The impact of lockdown on the unorganized sector, unemployment and poverty, public discontent, rise in criminal activities and competition over resources.
Socio-economic grievances have risen since the global pandemic brought challenges related to disrupted supply chains, movement controls and high unemployment to most economies across the region in the Asia Pacific region. As movement controls gradually eases, the long-lasting impact on the economy, including mass job losses, will continue to sustain the momentum of social unrest across affected countries, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Thailand.
In India, factors driving public discontent and associated protests have constantly shifted since the onset of the pandemic. The main grievances are linked to socio-economic issues, contentious government decisions such as the legislation recently adopted in the agricultural sector, as well as long-standing issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act, which critics regard as discriminatory from a religious and ethnic standpoint. These are unlikely to be resolved in the short-to-medium term and are expected to prompt demonstrations over the coming months. Labour unions and farmers’ groups have been taking to the streets, while political parties have also called demonstrations. Protests have the potential to become more structured and organised, thereby growing in size and focusing on main urban centres.
Mr. Udit Mehta, a leading geopolitical and security expert who serves as the Executive Vice President for International SOS, India said, “The global economic downturn has particularly hit export-dependent economies in the region, fuelling socio-economic grievances which will likely underpin high levels of social unrest in the short-to-medium term. These uncertainties has led to concerns about the safety and security of employees based in their home countries, as well as those in foreign locations, making it vital for organizations to map out policies and strategies focusing on employees and business continuity”
International SOS team of experts, recommend and support a comprehensive mitigation process, Planning, Assessing, Advising and Assisting to help organisation prepare for any challenging situation and enhance business continuity during Covid 19 pandemic. In the event of an escalation, the International SOS, 24×7 response team and on ground support network, provide assistance in accessing appropriate medical or security assistance across the globe.
The report also highlights various current and upcoming threats in different regions of the world including Europe, MENA, Asia, America, and Africa and concerns regarding travel and safety of organizations and its employees in these regions. On top of the complexities that the pandemic has added to managing travel, it has diversely impacted security environments, presenting new challenges for companies’ risk managers and other stakeholders looking after their workforce’s resilience, both while travelling internationally and at their domestic location stated the report.
